You can have your own light - and that’s cool, and he’s going to support that - but when you’re ready, Ab-Soul is happy to share his light with you. But one of those themes is that his isn’t the only way. Verse 1: Ab-Soul / Back when I first grabbed that pen / I told myself I was gon win / And I aint know when / But it was gon end / Up happening. So: he throws the name out in a song where he’s laying out his philosophy, a perfect chance to define himself against an artist who was hugely successful commercially in 2012, and then he follows it up with “And that ain’t wrong”? It makes sense only when you put it together with the hook, with the apparent contrast between the yells of “They wanna share my light!” and the smooth delivery of “I’ll give you the light.” Ab-Soul has his own preoccupations, his own themes to deliver, and he’s out to convince you he can deliver them better than anyone else. ![]() If 2 Chainz is at one end of the spectrum, Ab-Soul might not be the polar opposite but he’s damn close. Nowhere is that more true than on the seeming toss-off line “Put 2 Chainz on/ And that ain’t wrong,” which is the other key, a line that’s basically “ILLuminate” in miniature. It’s never “I am” but rather “I can.” The boasting quickly falls away and the aftertaste of “ILLuminate” is the minor key production and the offer that “You can have all my shine / I’ll give you the light.” Ab-Soul doesn’t require the recognition of the rest of his Black Hippy crew, his instinct to regulate and his drive for perfection are constant and unerring.ĭV: The brilliance of this track is how the hook compliments and complicates its verses: MG notes how there’re plenty of “assertions of greatness” in “ILLuminate” - but there’s also that core idea that “I’ll give you the light.” And that’s one key to the song and the idea that while Soulo might be throwing out references and quotations faster than you can probably catch, the hook turns his words into an education, not a boast. Even in his gloating, an humble undercurrent pulses. He’s simply a man with a message and rap is his medium. Like any great preacher, his message is wrapped in relatability. He raps, “They wanna see me wearing Polo drawers / Put 2 chains on and that ain’t wrong / But that ain’t me, I go too damn hard / I don’t need clothes or jewelry to stand out / Black lip nigga with his hair wild / Too damn proud” in an attempt to remove himself from the pose of mainstream rap and a subconscious empathizing with his audience. Throughout assertions of greatness, he weaves anecdotes of being taken advantage of, the scales always balancing with each personal victory of flow checked by a label head or promoter. ![]() ![]() On “ILLuminate” he reminisces on the past while dreaming of a better tomorrow. He’s not selling stories so much as pulpet ravings and pamphlets. MG: Ab-Soul is Black Hippy’s super-ego - conceptual and often overlooked in favor of Kendrick’s ego and ScHoolBoy Q’s id. Kendrick Lamar) (Chopped Not Slopped) free mp3 download and stream. ![]() Back when I first grabbed that pen I told myself I was gon' win And I ain't know when But it was gon' end Up happening, I want in So you can take your top 5 list Dead or alive and put me after Em I'm a fucking genius Gripping my fucking penis, living this life You can't tell me nothing Still ain't really got no money fucking right I'm all about that real, about that real This ain't no motion picture I tell you how that feel, how that feel Even when the odds against you They wanna see me wearing Polo drawers Put 2 chains on and that ain't wrong But that ain't me, I go too damn hard I don't need clothes or jewelry to stand out Black lip nigga with his hair wild Too damn proud Been killing this since Cam made Oh Boy Oh boy, I'm the man now TDE, put the money in my hand ain't shit free This business is quick sand and I won't sink Put the pistol in my hand and I won't think Rest in peace, you just made room for the next to be I never been afraid to say what I wanna say when I wanna say it, okay then Further more we do this for y'all Rap is stressin' but it pays great That is until you lose appeal And your release date gets date raped Stay safe, hold your head I got two fish and a loaf of bread Feed the people, food for thought Because we are equal, who'd have thought They wanna share my light They wanna share my light They wanna share my light They wanna share my light They wanna share my light They wanna share my light They wanna share my light They wanna share my light You can have all my shine, I'll give you the light You can have all my shine, I'll give you the light I used to wanna rap like Jay-Z Now I feel I could run laps around Jay-Z Nas ain't seen nothing this nasty B.I.G.“ILLuminate” by Ab-Soul (ft.
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